


Don't Save Me

by SleepyBanshee



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Caroline gets kidnapped again, F/M, Klaus and Caroline have Feelings and actually express them well, but she saves herself, prety much ignores cannon after 5x11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 10:15:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14913488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepyBanshee/pseuds/SleepyBanshee
Summary: Caroline get's kidnapped as bait for Klaus. But she is done being collateral damage and she is more than capable of saving herself.





	1. Don't Save Me Pt I

Caroline hated being bait. She was sick of being chosen as the person whose life dangled in the balance, but was viewed as inconsequential to the people using her as bait. Just once she wanted to be taken captive because she did something rather than being taken captive for simply talking to someone every now and then. Hell, she’d even be okay with being bait for Bonnie. There was something inherently annoying about being bait for him. Some sort of damsel in distress shit that she hated when she played Mario Bros growing up and she hated now. She was no one’s Princess Peach. 

But, of fucking course, she is sitting in a dank cell tied to a chair with vervain soaked ropes and unable to get out of it, even if she could break free of the ropes, because some witch put up a boundary spell. It was annoying, but. 

Honestly, she was bored. 

“Are you just going to sit there and watch me this whole time?” Caroline asked the man who sat in the corner hidden by the shadows. She guessed he’d watched a few too many movies to get the I’m-evil-here’s-how-you-sit-in-a-dark-corner-look just right. Caroline tried to hold in her laugh at the thought. 

“Yes.” Said the man after a few seconds. 

“Could you at least talk to me, then?” Caroline asked with exacerbation. 

“You want to talk to me?” Finally came the reply from the man Caroline now dubbed as Shadow Ass. “Shouldn’t you be struggling and in pain?” He asked. 

“One. No, this isn’t my first kidnapping and torturing and it was much more traumatic when it was my own father that did it. This is relatively easy after that. Two. Want is a strong word. But you could at least entertain me a little. I mean, I’m sitting here for the foreseeable future and I have nothing to do except plot how I want to torture y’all once I’m out of here. You would think that you could provide some entertainment or distractions from my single-minded focus of hurting you.” 

“What? You want me to act out a skit?” Came the incredulous reply from Shadow Ass in the corner. 

“Sure.” Caroline said cheerfully as she ignored the sting of the vervain in her wrists when she moved to sit up straighter. “Yeah, you should definitely like act out your tragic backstory so I know how you came to be a villain.” 

“I’m not the villain here. You are.” Shadow Ass ground out. Caroline almost flinched at the tone before she remembered the whole kidnapping and vervain shot and ropes. 

“Yeah, see that feels like bullshit because I haven’t kidnapped, tortured, vervained, or used anyone as bait for like a decade or so. And when I was apart of those plans I was usually the minority who objected but was overruled. So you can see how from my point of view, you are the bad guy in this situation.” Caroline explained calmly as if she was talking to a angry and nervous child. 

“Fine, maybe you aren’t the bad guy, but you side with the bad guy.” Shadow Ass replied and seemed annoyed at the logic and calm demeanor of a bound and vervained vamp. 

Caroline scoffed. “So, what, that means I’m collateral damage? That’s just insulting on so many levels. Just because some, admittedly hot, prick is a possessive blood hungry bastard does not mean that my sole existence is to be moved around a chess board to get revenge against him.” 

Shadow Ass remained silent for a few minutes before he started chuckling quietly in the corner. 

“What in particular is so funny about me being collateral damage?” Caroline asked her veins darkening under her eyes because of her anger towards Shadow Ass’ snickering. 

“That wasn’t funny as much as you calling the Big Bad that kills entire towns and supernatural communities for any perceived slight an “‘admittedly hot prick” and a “possessive blood hungry bastard.’” Shadow Ass remarked and Caroline could hear how incredulous and amused he was from his tone alone. 

“Yeah, well, he is. You clearly made a mistake. I think he’s a terrible, paranoid, controlling dick. He’s not going to save me. You got the wrong girl.” Caroline lied hoping that this would get her out of here rather than dead. “What exactly is your endgame here?” Caroline asked. 

“What do you mean?” Shadow Ass inquired slowly. Caroline hoped that at some point Shadow Ass moved out from the dark corner and faced her. 

“I mean, you just talked about how powerful Klaus is, how brutal and murder-y he gets over very little so you decided to take someone you think is important to him tie her up with vervain and use her as bait? What are you trying to get besides an early death? You can’t kill him.” 

“The witches have found a way to bind him to an object. Then all we need to do is break that object.” Shadow Ass told her with confidence. 

Caroline waited for a few minutes letting the words sink in. Then she started laughing. Hard. She cackled as tears fell down her cheeks. 

“Oh my god.” Caroline got out and tried to take a few deep breaths to calm down. Every time she started laughing she could feel the dig of the ropes into her skin as her body jolted. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry” Caroline said into the silence still trying to stifle her laughter. “It’s just the idea that someone who was raised by one of the most powerful witches in the world and has lived and pissed off literally everyone for thousands of years wouldn’t have either thwarted this attack already or prepared every contingency so it could never happen is hilarious. He’s a dick, but he’s a brilliant and strategic dick.” 

Shadow Ass stood up quickly and crossed the room walking past the boundary spell and stopping in front of Caroline. He was young, she thought, no more than her own seventeen year old face. A vampire for sure and his dark brown eyes were barely visible over his lengthy and unruly black hair. He seemed pale despite his dark skin. He knelt down so he was eye level with her. 

“You’re point?” He asked, studying her carefully. Caroline took a moment and looked at him. He clearly hadn’t fed in a while and he seemed desperate and scared. Shit, Caroline thought. Sometimes she really really hated her fucking bleeding heart. 

“You get me out of here and promise to never retaliate or go after me or Klaus again, I will never tell him what you look like or anything that would let him find you. You can walk away with your life and start fresh. You can leave behind the vengeance and revenge and actually live your life.” Caroline pleaded.

“I don’t know if I can trust you. Besides I don’t have anyone to live my life with anyways.” Shadow Ass, which granted, didn’t seem like the best name anymore, told Caroline. Caroline noted the pain that crawled into his eyes. His desperation. 

“So you start over and make friends and find a new family. Take a leap of faith. Remember, I am not the bad guy. I’m just collateral damage, and I have a feeling the witches view you the same way.” Caroline watched him take a deep breath and absorb her words. Finally, he blew out the air before taking out his knife and working the ropes on the chair. Caroline groaned as the vervain-soaked ropes left her wrists and then her ankles. She stood slowly and stretched her body trying to get out the knots after being taken over twenty four hours ago. 

“Now what?” Shadow Ass asked. Caroline gave him a winning smile. 

“Boundary Spell?” Caroline asked tilting her head as she examined the mostly dark room. 

“Doesn’t work if we are touching. They wanted to make sure you couldn’t get out, but I could rush you out if need be. I’m the only one who can leave with you without killing the witch who cast it.” Shadow Ass stated. 

“Well it’s a good thing you’re smart and also hate being collateral damage. We should start a club.” Caroline beamed and held out her hand for Shadow Ass to grab. 

They walked over the boundary spell without any problems and Caroline resisted the urge to dance at her success. 

“Let’s vamp a few miles over and then I’m going to snap your neck so you can have total plausible deniability with the witches if you need it. I’ll try to keep you well hidden, though, so you can get away without dealing with anyone.” Caroline told him taking charge and grabbing his hand again as she vamped them about twenty miles away. They came to a stop and Shadow Ass squeezed her hand before letting go. 

“Live a good life, okay?” Caroline told him before she snapped his neck and gently placed him in a corner of an abandoned building far away from the original site of her captivity before giving herself or him the chance to say anything else. The more she knew about Shadow Ass, the more difficult it would be to keep that information from Klaus. She stared down at Shadow Ass’ lifeless body and hoped he could live a happy living death. 

Caroline walked out of the building and vamped back to her apartment. The door to her apartment on the fourth floor was wide open and her place was completely ransacked. Caroline stepped inside clenching her fists as she surveyed the damage to the living room. 

“Hello?” Caroline asked into the small apartment. When she got no answer after asking a few more times she walked to her nightstand to grab her pay by the go phone she used as a backup when she traveled. Caroline was thankful that it wasn’t damaged and called a familiar number. 

“What?” A voice ground out so full of rage it made her stomach tighten even though she knew it would never be directed at her. 

“Klaus?” She asked more breathy than she intended, but she suddenly felt very tired and she was hungry and relieved at hearing his voice. 

“Caroline, love?” He asked. His voice more gently then when he answered. “Where are you, sweetheart? Are you okay?” He demanded. 

“I’m okay. I’m at my apartment. Which is...destroyed.” She said spinning around to look at the disaster and frowned. She had just finished organizing it to her exacting standards two days ago. 

“I’m on my way.” Klaus told her and abruptly hung up the phone. 

“Rude,” Caroline whispered to the empty apartment before walking to her kitchen and grabbing a bottle of scotch. She sat clumsily on the floor while taking a few big swigs and rested her head back against her lower kitchen cabinets hoping that she could take a nice long hot shower and drain a few blood bags before sleeping for twelve straight hours. But first, she had to deal with Klaus.


	2. Don't Save Me Pt II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part II

It only took a few minutes before Klaus was rushing into the apartment and kneeling down beside her in the kitchen. His body tight with barely controlled fury. He put one hand on her cheek and Caroline leaned into it uncaring about the implications for a few seconds before she straightened and stood up. Klaus took the opportunity to stand as well and to rove her body searching for injuries. Besides the rubbed raw skin on her ankles and wrists she was in pretty good shape all things considered. 

“I’m fine.” Caroline told him when he didn’t say anything, but kept searching her body for signs of harm. 

“How did you get out?” Klaus asked. “Are they close?” 

“I am capable of actually getting myself out of dangerous situations not just into them, you know.” Caroline said grumpily. Klaus icy demeanor seemed to soften a bit at her frown. The sides of his mouth quirked up and Caroline could see that he was fighting to keep a straight face rather than smirk at her statement and general grumpiness. Caroline ignored him and continued. “I’m not sure if they are close. I don’t even know who they are. I sweet talked a poor vamp to get me out before I killed him.” Technically not a lie, Caroline thought, she did snap his neck leaving him more dead than usual. 

“Let’s move this to my apartment, love. It’s more secure and I have blood bags on hand.” Klaus told her. He gently grabbed her hand, careful to avoid the damage caused by the vervain soaked ropes, and vamped with her to his ridiculously lavish apartment in the city center. 

After three B+ blood bags and a thirty minute shower Caroline dried off and changed into the clothes Klaus had given her when he showed her to the guest room and bathroom. She hadn’t looked at the clothes beforehand, but now she studied a worn gray Henley and a pair of his boxer briefs. Caroline stared at the clothes for a second. Of course he gave her his clothes, Caroline thought. He is such a territorial wolf. She rung out her hair in the towel and slipped on the boxer briefs. Rolling the band up a few times so that they actually fit her. She pulled on the Henley and watched as it almost completely covered the boxer briefs she had on. She wished she had thought to grab her own clothes before coming here. She felt vulnerable being in his clothes. In his apartment. Safe. She threw her wet hair into a messy top bun deciding not to worry about the tangles she would have to deal with later. 

She looked in the mirror at her bare face and in Klaus’ clothes. She looked...comfortable or cozy. Something that Caroline worked incredibly hard to achieve in her everyday life. Yet here, with no makeup, a place and clothes not her own, she felt comfortable in her skin, especially her monstrous skin. The skin that she had tried for so long to hide. She rolled her neck and shoulders mentally preparing herself to leave the safety of the bathroom and face Klaus. 

Caroline listened for Klaus in the apartment. She heard him talking on the phone two stories down and took her time to reach him. He was finishing up a call when she plopped down in a chair and watched him pace and yell out orders in the phone to whatever minions he had looking into her kidnapping, no doubt. 

Klaus hung up the phone and went to pour two drinks. He handed one to Caroline before he sat in the chair across from her. “How are you feeling, love?” Klaus asked and took a sip of his drink. His eyes intent on her face. 

“Fine. Better. I hate that you have perfect water pressure.” Caroline said and watched Klaus smirk at her over his glass. 

“Ah, yes, how dare I have good water pressure.” Klaus teased her. “Should I apologize for that Caroline?” 

“Yes. Especially since the water pressure in my apartment is shit.” She replied grumpily. 

“Well, sweetheart I believe I told you that you were welcome to stay here for as long as you’d like.” Klaus stated smugly. 

“That offer had strings.” Caroline tried not to grind out at his general smugness. 

“Oh? What strings did you think were attached to my offer, Caroline?” Klaus questioned as his eyes narrowed slightly the smirk fading from his face. 

“None. Explicitly.” Caroline admitted tearing her gaze from Klaus to look down at her healed wrists. 

“And implicitly?” Klaus questioned. “What are these strings you feel are attached to my offers Caroline?” Klaus’ tone turned harsh and Caroline looked at him. She could see his frustration clear as day and wondered if he was finally was done with her hard boundaries. For the past few decades she set the tone. He kept the rules initiated in the forest of Mystic Falls, outside of the occasional voicemail or letter. She was the one who started calling him. She always put up the boundaries or roadblocks and she rejected any offer Klaus made that made her feel like he was getting too close to her. Or that made her feel vulnerable or loved. But in doing so she knew she was running away from her feelings for him. She was being weak and Caroline Forbes was not weak. 

“You. You are the string that are attached to these offers, Klaus. I wasn’t ready, but--” Caroline stopped when she realized that she was about to tell him how she actually felt. Was Caroline ready? Because she knew that she couldn’t go back if she finally opened up to him. He wouldn’t let her. He would push himself onto every part of her until she forgot what it was to be a Caroline that wasn’t completely sated, touched, or loved by Klaus. 

“But? Be sure Caroline. I will wait for you. I will be your last love. I want you and have been very clear about my intentions. I want you with me and I want last love to start now. But there are no strings to my offers until you initiate more, Caroline. I offer friendship with my offers, nothing more.” Caroline stared at Klaus’, her heart beating harder at the look of utter devotion and sincerity towards her. Caroline took a deep breath. 

“I don’t like being bait for you. I am not some pawn others can use. I am not a damsel in distress and I hate so much that I was taken to be used against you...” Caroline said. Klaus gaze never wavering from her face. His awareness of her was so intent she had to fight the need to fidget under it’s scrutiny. 

“...but I want you.” She quietly admitted and watched Klaus’ body go rigid from her declaration. His eyes flashed yellow and his tongue went out to wet his lips. Caroline continued. Finally she could admit this. She refused to be weak any longer. “I want your stupid perfect homes and your amazing water pressure. I want your ridiculous protective tendencies and your brilliant strategic mind. I want you and I’m terrified that wanting you will leave me as perpetual collateral damage for the rest of my life. I’ve done that, Klaus.” Caroline told him while stubbornly pushing down the lump in her throat and the tears in her eyes as she recalled every time she was nothing more than a chess piece or someone else’s collateral damage--even at times for Klaus. She was Caroline. Always second best. “I don’t want to do it again.” She finished. Caroline ran her hands through her hair messing up her bun as she waited for Klaus to do something. The lump in her throat grew bigger at the silence and stillness Klaus embodied. After several more seconds of Caroline holding his gaze and trying to work past the lump in her throat Klaus was before her kneeling down so he was eye level with her while she sat in the chair. 

Klaus ran his hands over her bare thighs and touched the bottom of his Henley that was on her before speaking. 

“You will never be just collateral damage. You are the light of this world, Caroline. Of my world. I will make sure that anyone who wishes to use you as a pawn faces severe consequences. But they will also know that you are not a pretty thing to take. You are a monster. One of the most breathtaking monsters I have ever seen and people will know that. You are not my damsel in distress, Caroline. You are my queen. You are a ruler, my love.” Klaus told her. The sincerity dripped off of every word. She felt it to her core so much so that had she not been injected with vervain earlier she would’ve questioned if he had compelled that to her. Because for the first time Caroline believed him. She believed that she was his first and only choice and that he would not ever play her the way he played his enemies so ruthlessly. She was precious, but to Klaus and to herself, she would never be thought of as weak. 

Caroline took a deep breath and a slow smile overtook her entire face. She shined as she looked at this man who was on his knees in front of her offering her the world and letting her be the monster she was. The monster she wanted to be. 

Klaus’ responding smile melted what little was left of the lump in her throat and she knew she would never forget the pure untainted joy he exuded in this moment. 

Caroline planned on making this pure joyous grin a staple in her life starting now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> All errors are mine! 
> 
> Title is from a Haim song (one of my faves) 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> -SleepyBanshee


End file.
